Light sources for use with surgical instruments and lighting techniques for medical procedures are known in the art. Existing surgical light sources involve fiber optic bundles permanently attached to a particular surgical instrument. These bundles are typically attached to the instrument by means of a rigid stainless steel tube brazed to the instrument. These light sources are limited in flexibility by the fiber optic bundles, and limited by a closed design that provides illumination to only the small, targeted area.
The present invention provides a single-strand fiber optic cable to be used with surgical instruments. This minute cable is only temporarily attached to the surgical instrument with which it is used, and mounted in an open design to allow illumination to a wider portion of the targeted area. As a result, an entire surgical pocket may be illuminated, and the cables provided can be disposable without requiring permanent attachment to an instrument or development of surgical instruments permanently incorporating a light source.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to medical instruments, and more particularly to apparatus for illuminating body areas undergoing surgery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is imperative that adequate lighting be provided to affected regions during surgical procedures. However, overhead room lighting is rarely sufficient for operating purposes. Accordingly, various types of supplemental lighting equipment have been developed that suits different medical illumination requirements.
For example, surgical retractors useful in oral surgery include a fiber optic cable. The fiber optic cable is clipped to an external surface of the retractor. One end of the fiber optic cable is connected to a source of illumination. The output end of the fiber optic cable is positioned to direct a focused beam of light on the mouth area being treated. Although useful, the externally clipped fiber optic cable is prone to being bumped and misdirected during use. Furthermore, if debris obstructs the end of the cable, the illumination is blocked. Another use of fiber optic illumination includes a headlight lighting system wherein the output end of a fiber optic cable is connected to a headband worn by a surgeon. The fiber optic cable supplies light to a headlight on the headband. The headlight may be fixed or moveable to suit different requirements. By moving his head and/or the headlight, the surgeon is able to direct light to the region where he is working. Clipping a fiber optic cable onto the retractor in the manner of orthodontic instruments is not an acceptable solution, because of the potential for the fiber optic cable to be bumped or dislodged. In addition, the prior fiber optic cable design would decrease the volume within the cavity that is available to the surgeon""s fingers and instruments. Another drawback of the prior fiber optic cable and clip combination is that the loss of light from a small spatter of blood or other fluid on the output end of the fiber optic cable would be intolerable. Thus, a need exists for an improved surgical lighting system.
In accordance with the present invention, an illuminated instrument is provided that greatly increases the illumination. In a preferred form of the present invention, a plurality of connectors are attached to the instrument and the fiber optic cable is threaded through at least one of the connectors to hold the fiber optic cable immediately adjacent to the side of the instrument. The fiber optic cable preferably is partially shielded along the length thereof and the distal end portion is preferably unshielded so that the illumination extends lengthwise along the desired portion of the instrument and may additionally be directed forwardly thereof to provide the desired illumination characteristics for the instrument and procedure. An additional feature of the present invention is that the fiber optic cable may be used for multiple procedures so that as the fiber optic cable becomes worn or frayed, the cable may be cut and then the shielding may be removed from the desired portion of the cable. The fiber optic cable is then reinstalled on the instrument.